Summary of Constitution and Bylaws Revisions 2020
The intent of this document is to highlight the major areas of proposed revisions to the SHBC Constitution and Bylaws. This does not capture every edit given the volume of grammatical changes and overall document cleanup that occurred. Members are encouraged to review the current and proposed versions as well as to reach out to the team for specific questions.
Constitution Revision Summary
Area and Purpose of Revision
Preamble:
Modernized language.
Mission Statement:
Updated to reflect current Vision, Mission and Values. Recommendation is to review VMV on the same schedule as the Constitution and Bylaws to keep them in sync.
Church Covenant:
Modernized language and consolidated similar items.
Membership:
Removed references to "watch care" distinction from full membership.
Area and Purpose of Revision
Preamble:
Modernized language.
Mission Statement:
Updated to reflect current Vision, Mission and Values. Recommendation is to review VMV on the same schedule as the Constitution and Bylaws to keep them in sync.
Church Covenant:
Modernized language and consolidated similar items.
Membership:
Removed references to "watch care" distinction from full membership.
Bylaws Revision Summary
Area and Purpose of Revision
Article II, Personnel:
Clarified Senior Pastor's involvement with Personnel and Finance.
Section 1, Church Staff:
Aligned staff definitions and eliminated contradictions with Personnel Policies and Procedures, which is the governing document for all personnel matters.
Section 2, Church Officers:
Clarified the roles that make up church officers;
Standardized language and content associated with each officer's roles and responsibilities (e.g., election, term, duties).
Article III, Deacons:
Included edits recommended by the Deacon chair;
Included reference to Deacon Procedural Manual to provide details surrounding election and duties.
Article IV, Teams
Section 1, Leadership Team:
Added distinction between Ministry Teams and Administrative Teams in accordance with Leadership Team makeup and governance (i.e., Leadership Team consists of Ministry Teams and Administrative Teams, with temporary Project Teams being under each as needed);
Clarified that teams have the authority to make decisions within their respective areas and budgets;
Added Leadership Planning Team to be responsible for development of an annual plan;
Defined the makeup of the Leadership Team as representatives from each team within the church to reflect team-based decision process;
Clarified responsibilities of the Leadership Team in order to carry out the work of the church based on a team structure.
Section 2, Finance Team:
Added responsibility to make recommendations regarding budget adjustments during a fiscal year;
Added Leadership Planning Team to process for creating annual budget.
Section 5, Buildings and Grounds:
Added Buildings and Grounds as a permanent team based on their significang responsibilities and role on the Leadership Team.
Section 7, Senior Pastor Search Team:
Clarified Moderator as a participant in the Search Committee nomination process versus the Chairperson of the Ministry Leadership Team.
Article VI, Church Meetings
Section 2, Business Meeting:
Included detail from prior appendix concerning membership voting.
Section 3, Rules of Order:
Included flexibility for Moderator to use simplified version of Robert's Rules of Order.
Appendix A
Included updated illustration of church governance model to better reflect team struction and decision-making process;
Incorporated all other topics from prior version appendix into the body of the Bylaws to avoid conflicting or confusing statements.
Area and Purpose of Revision
Article II, Personnel:
Clarified Senior Pastor's involvement with Personnel and Finance.
Section 1, Church Staff:
Aligned staff definitions and eliminated contradictions with Personnel Policies and Procedures, which is the governing document for all personnel matters.
Section 2, Church Officers:
Clarified the roles that make up church officers;
Standardized language and content associated with each officer's roles and responsibilities (e.g., election, term, duties).
Article III, Deacons:
Included edits recommended by the Deacon chair;
Included reference to Deacon Procedural Manual to provide details surrounding election and duties.
Article IV, Teams
Section 1, Leadership Team:
Added distinction between Ministry Teams and Administrative Teams in accordance with Leadership Team makeup and governance (i.e., Leadership Team consists of Ministry Teams and Administrative Teams, with temporary Project Teams being under each as needed);
Clarified that teams have the authority to make decisions within their respective areas and budgets;
Added Leadership Planning Team to be responsible for development of an annual plan;
Defined the makeup of the Leadership Team as representatives from each team within the church to reflect team-based decision process;
Clarified responsibilities of the Leadership Team in order to carry out the work of the church based on a team structure.
Section 2, Finance Team:
Added responsibility to make recommendations regarding budget adjustments during a fiscal year;
Added Leadership Planning Team to process for creating annual budget.
Section 5, Buildings and Grounds:
Added Buildings and Grounds as a permanent team based on their significang responsibilities and role on the Leadership Team.
Section 7, Senior Pastor Search Team:
Clarified Moderator as a participant in the Search Committee nomination process versus the Chairperson of the Ministry Leadership Team.
Article VI, Church Meetings
Section 2, Business Meeting:
Included detail from prior appendix concerning membership voting.
Section 3, Rules of Order:
Included flexibility for Moderator to use simplified version of Robert's Rules of Order.
Appendix A
Included updated illustration of church governance model to better reflect team struction and decision-making process;
Incorporated all other topics from prior version appendix into the body of the Bylaws to avoid conflicting or confusing statements.